WEST WHITELAND >> State Sen. Andy Dinniman, D-19, on Thursday visited the site of multiple sinkholes which are apparently related to the Mariner East 2 pipeline drilling on Lisa Drive.

Dinniman wants to halt construction of the Mariner East 2 pipeline until geologic and safety studies are performed.

“As more sinkholes develop, we need to not only make doubly sure about safety of this pipeline and whether the construction of Mariner East 2 is having on the integrity of Mariner East 1,” Dinniman said. “You can’t move forward with the construction of Mariner East 2 unless you understand the geology of this area.

“It seems like Sunoco doesn’t want the public to see or to know what is going on here and just how badly its ongoing failures have potentially jeopardized the health, safety, and well-being of this community,” Dinniman said. “Well, they can’t hide it anymore.”

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The senator is frustrated.

“Enough is enough,” he said. “I have a responsibility to protect my constituents and that includes ensuring that we have complete and accurate information regarding what went wrong on this project.”

On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission suspended operations on Sunoco’s Mariner East 1 pipeline due to ongoing safety and geologic stability concerns related to problems stemming from the drilling of Mariner East 2.

That order came just four days after officials from the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the PUC visited the Lisa Drive site where multiple sinkholes have developed on a residential block apparently due to pipeline construction.

Dinniman said that while the order marks an important step in the right direction, residents have ongoing concerns regarding the future of Mariner East 2 construction, as well as Sunoco’s plans to add a third pipeline, which it’s calling “Mariner 2X.”

“Given how badly this project appears to have been botched here in Chester County and how poorly local residents report being treated by Sunoco, Mariner East 2 construction should be stopped,” Dinniman said. “If we’re having these very serious, very real, and potentially life-threatening problems here in a geologically problematic, high-density, and high-consequence area, then I have significant questions and concerns about Sunoco’s operations on this project throughout the commonwealth.

“I have repeatedly called on the governor and state agencies to halt this project until we can investigate what went wrong, conduct a thorough risk assessment, get straight answers, and ensure public safety. I continue to do so and have been joined by a growing number of constituents and community groups. With every day these calls grow louder.”

Dinniman also said that Sunoco seems to be continuing its “abysmal track record” by not communicating with the public nor coordinating with the required state and federal agencies.

“Now that Mariner East 1 is being temporarily shut down, we’re getting mixed messages on just where Mariner East 2 stands in the West Whiteland area. Is work ongoing? Has it been completed? Is it temporary halted?” Dinniman asked. “Sunoco never notified the PUC or PHMSA when the sinkholes appeared, and they seem to try continue to push around residents.”

The first West Whiteland sinkhole developed in T.J. Allen’s Lisa Drive backyard on Nov. 11. The hole now stretches to within 18 inches of his driveway.

This week, two huge 100-year-old trees fell at a neighbor’s home across the street from the sinkholes.

“Every day something else is falling into the ground,” Allen said. “Where’s the supervision and work permits — there is nothing?

“There is no one watching them.”

Allen is frustrated that a fix hasn’t occurred.

“Another six months has gone by and every day I get to wake up with Sunoco (employees) in my yard. They put my life in danger. They can walk in and say, in an hour you’ve got to leave.”

Allen is contemplating a move. He said he would never be able to sell his house.

“I will not live here, it’s not safe,” he said. “I can never trust them.

“I’d rather take a loss on the house than live here.”

A neighbor on nearby Durant Court said it is “terrifying” living so close to the ME1 pipeline.

“We have little to no information on what to do in the event of a leak or explosion,” Jen Anderson said. “With the sinkholes developing within half a mile of our home, we are concerned for the safety of our property and the integrity of the land.

“In addition, the constant noise, destruction of land and annoyance from the construction drive is crazy every day.”

Lisa Hartley lives in the Lynntree development. The pipeline runs through her backyard and she’s not far from the sinkholes.

“It’s a nightmare,” she said. “We live in constant fear.

“Our backyard is a war zone.”

Hartley reported that her only break from the noise is when she goes to work; she was coming home for lunch, but not anymore.

She said she’s been looking to move, but that idea came to a complete halt when construction started. She might consider moving and renting the house.

“We don’t know what to do,” she said.

“The only positive thing that comes out of this is that it’s really nice to see the community come together,” she said. “We’re hoping more people are listening.”

Jeff Shields, Sunoco Pipeline communications manager, said Thursday that the pipeline builder was working with the Public Utilities Commission by taking “proactive measures to reaffirm for regulators the safety of the Mariner East 1 pipeline.”

Those measures include:

• Running an inline inspection tool in the area of Lisa Drive in West Whiteland to reconfirm the integrity of the pipeline;

• Suspending operation of the Mariner East 1 pipeline after those tests to allow for a 10 to 14-day “study period” involving completion of integrity and geophysical investigations in the area;

• Sharing all findings with the Pennsylvania PUC and taking any corrective actions, if necessary.

“This period should allow us to share what our professional geologist has established to date – that the Mariner East 1 pipeline is stable, is located in suitably safe geology, and will continue to operate safely as it has done for decades,” Shields said. “The safe operation of our pipelines is of critical importance to us, and we believe the study period will reaffirm the safety of the pipeline.

Wednesday’s order regarding Mariner East 1 does not affect construction of Mariner East 2, which continues throughout the state.